Eats plants
After last Sunday's disappointing walk in Tullos Wood we went further afield today for a walk in Braemar. The recent snowfall in the highlands has created a winter wonderland and we were gifted a beautifully sunny day. The last part of the drive from Crathie to Braemar is always lovely but today the mist over… Continue reading Winter wonderland, Braemar
This is going to be a long post with lots of photos so apologies in advance. We've just had a magnificent weekend in Braemar staying at the luxurious Fife Arms hotel. It's quite a contrast to our recent glamping adventures and definitely opulent but worth every penny. I've been longing to spend a night at… Continue reading A night to remember at the Fife Arms Hotel, Braemar
Snow has returned to Scotland and today we went to Braemar in search of some fun. Braemar is always gorgeous but particularly so when there's snow on the surrounding hills and the drive through Royal Deeside is always lovely. We did the Queen's Circular Walk which is fairly level and has nice views over Braemar… Continue reading The Queen’s Circular walk, Braemar
Some kayakers lost a kayak in the River Clunie today and we watched the rescue operation. I'm amazed anyone kayaks on this part of the river because it looks way too treacherous to me. The kayak was bobbing up and down for a long time - at least half an hour. It was caught in… Continue reading A lost kayak and the Queen’s Drive circuit
We're in Braemar today and gosh I love this place. I think I could retire here. You can just make out the River Dee in the valley in the next photo. This is the River Clunie gushing beside the Fife Arms Hotel. The entrance to the Fife Arms is beautiful. This is the duck pond… Continue reading Photos of Braemar
We had another glorious day in the snow today. My mum is visiting and here she is getting into the spirit of the day and throwing snowballs at the grandkids. We got out our skis and went into the park to practice. Even Granny had a go. It was snowing quite heavily. You can see… Continue reading Skiing in Aberdeen
We woke up to a glorious winter wonderland this morning which was followed by a lovely sunny day. I cycled to Newton Dee like I always do. It wasn't slippery but it was hard work cycling on the snow. There was lots of resistance; a bit like cycling on the grass. I was grateful for… Continue reading Winter wonderland
It's not often we get to see snow and autumn colours simultaneously but that's exactly what we got today. We drove past this next distillery on our way to Grantown on Spey and the building looked particularly striking in the snow. It was one of those, "Wow, look at that!" moments in the car. I… Continue reading Autumnal snow
These were taken last weekend. All the snow has gone now and we probably won't see it again until next winter. It was fun while it lasted. No one was injured in the making of these videos. Me speeding down the hill .... or not. Daniel speeding down the hill and falling off. Daniel speeding… Continue reading More sledging bloopers
We haven't been as badly affected as other parts of the country by the extreme weather. We're close to the sea which always helps to moderate the temperature but we also haven't had the huge snow drifts they've had elsewhere. No one is panic buying food and it hasn't been particularly cold. That said, we've… Continue reading The Beast from the East
I've never seen so much snow outside our front door before. Aberdeen is looking gorgeous this morning for the first day of spring. I flew back to Aberdeen from Nice yesterday afternoon and I'm very lucky to be here. All other airports in Scotland were closed and all BA and Flybe flights in and out… Continue reading First day of spring
I didn't want to leave Ballater today. It started snowing heavily this morning and it was the kind of snow that settles for a few days; the best kind of snow. The flakes were huge and dry and it wasn't windy or particularly cold. The snow followed us all the way back home, turning to… Continue reading A winter person
I took these photos today of the magnificent Ballochie Suspension Bridge which is just outside Braemar. It was built in 1924 and spans the River Dee. I always admire it when we drive past, not just for the bridge itself which is beautiful in its own right but also for the setting - the forests,… Continue reading Ballochie Suspension Bridge, Braemar, Glenshee, and snow
Today we walked up Craigendarroch which means hill of oak (craig = hill or crag/rock, and darroch = oak). It's a steep, rocky hill overlooking the village of Ballater. From the ground it doesn't look very inviting because of the rocky cliffs and indeed the women behind the reception desk in our hotel tried to… Continue reading Craigendarroch, Ballater, Scotland
Yesterday I had the very great pleasure of being on BBC Radio Scotland's Out For The Weekend programme, which is on Friday afternoons. They called me earlier in the week to see whether I'd be interested to come in and talk about my petition and I said unequivocally, yes! It was just a short 10-minute segment… Continue reading My 10 minutes of radio fame and Ballater
After a very mild Christmas the temperature has suddenly plunged. There were a few flakes of snow today and the pond at Duthie park is starting to freeze over. It's funny how enthralled the kids are by a bit of ice. It won't be cold enough to freeze the River Dee. I took this photo… Continue reading An almost frozen pond at Duthie Park
We had a fun time sledging today. Snow turns every hill into a playground. I took a short video of some of the fun, including a bit at around 30 seconds where Elizabeth careens into a tree. Ben also falls off at one point and he gets up afterwards with the speed of someone who… Continue reading Sledging bloopers
We've been so lucky with the snow so far this winter. It's another winter wonderland outside this morning. Elizabeth told me that when she sees all the snow outside it makes her feel good. I know exactly what she means because I feel happy when I see it too. Here's the bike path today: There… Continue reading Winter wonderland
Yesterday there was lots of snow in Aberdeen and the Martin household was jumping with joy! It's very pretty when it snows. There was much excitement in the school playground with snowballs flying in all directions. Somehow I managed to avoid getting hit. Today was a different story. It rained on the snow yesterday afternoon… Continue reading Snow in Aberdeen!
Snow or castle? That was the question we asked ourselves yesterday when deciding what to do today. Fortuitously, we got both at Castle Fraser. The snow we had this week hasn't completely melted at Castle Fraser and we got a taste of it on our walk around the estate. Here's the family portrait. And the… Continue reading Snow, castles, and a squirrel mug
rachel.blog 